JP5217668B2 - To-be-processed object transfer mechanism and to-be-processed object processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing system in which a processing object is transferred from a storage box for storing a processing object such as a semiconductor wafer to a processing object boat in a processing object transfer area and subjected to heat treatment. And a transfer mechanism of the object to be processed.

In general, in order to manufacture semiconductor integrated circuits such as ICs and LSIs, various film forming processes, oxidative diffusion processes, etching processes, and the like are repeatedly performed on a semiconductor wafer. Need to be transported between devices. In this case, a plurality of, for example, 25 semiconductor wafers are housed and transported in the housing box. This type of storage box is one that is transported open to the atmosphere like a cassette, and like FOUP (registered trademark), it is sealed with an open / close lid to prevent adhesion of particles and natural oxide films. There is known one in which the inside of a box made into an atmosphere of an inert gas such as N ₂ gas or clean air is used (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  In a batch type processing system that handles the storage box, for example, a box transfer area in which the transfer box is transferred by a transfer mechanism, and a semiconductor wafer is transferred from the storage box to a wafer boat or the like for heat treatment. Generally, there is an object transfer area for the purpose (for example, Patent Documents 4 to 6). Both areas are partitioned by a partition wall having an open gate that can be opened and closed to deliver the wafer, and within the processing object transfer area for transporting the processing object in an exposed state, the wafer surface In order to prevent the natural oxide film or the like from adhering to the surface, an inert gas, for example, a nitrogen atmosphere may be used, or a clean atmosphere may be used.

  In the processing object transfer area, the wafer in the storage box that stores, for example, 25 wafers as described above is used as a processing object boat made of quartz or the like using a wafer transfer mechanism. Is transferred. The wafer boat can hold a plurality of wafers, for example, about 50 to 150 wafers in multiple stages at an equal pitch. Similarly, when the heat treatment for the wafer is completed, the wafer is transferred from the wafer boat to the accommodation box by using the transfer mechanism.

  Here, in general, in a vertical heat treatment unit, a quartz wafer boat to be used is a so-called ladder type in which a wafer supporting groove portion for supporting an edge of a wafer is formed on a support column constituting the wafer boat. A so-called ring-type wafer boat is known in which a ring-shaped mounting table is stretched in multiple stages between the wafer boats and the columns, and a supporting claw portion for supporting the edge of the wafer is formed on each mounting table ( Patent Document 6).

  By the way, when the semiconductor wafer is transferred between the storage box and the wafer boat using the transfer mechanism described above in the processing object transfer area as described above, slight contact between members or sliding between the members. It is inevitable that static electricity is generated in the wafer itself, the storage box itself, and further the wafer boat itself due to the contact. When this static electricity is generated, even a small number of particles floating in the atmosphere are adsorbed and cause a reduction in product yield.

  Therefore, in the conventional transport mechanism, an ionizer is fixedly provided in the processing object transfer area for the purpose of removing the generated static electricity, or static electricity generated on the wafer when the wafer is transferred between cassettes is removed. For the purpose, a plurality of ionizers are provided at the base of the transfer arm of the transfer mechanism to neutralize the generated static electricity (for example, Patent Document 7).

JP-A-8-279546 JP-A-9-306975 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-274267 JP 2002-76089 A JP 2003-37148 A JP-A-9-213647 JP-A-11-238778

  By the way, by providing the ionizer fixedly in the workpiece transfer area as described above, it was possible to carry out a certain amount of charge removal of charged places and floating charged dust (particles).

  However, static charge is generated in many parts of the area where the transfer mechanism moves within the actual transfer area of the object to be processed, and it is described above that the charged portions are sufficiently and effectively discharged. It was difficult with the conventional configuration. In this case, it is conceivable to install ionizers in every region where the transfer mechanism moves, but in this case, the number of ionizers installed increases and the equipment cost increases significantly. Absent.

  In addition, when an ionizer is provided at the base of the transfer arm, static electricity generated on, for example, the wafer itself held on the transfer arm can be effectively removed, but static electricity generated on the wafer boat itself or the storage box itself can be removed. In addition to the fact that neutralization could not be performed effectively, there were problems that the number of ionizers to be installed also increased.

  The present invention has been devised to pay attention to the above problems and to effectively solve them. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to transfer an object to be processed, which can perform, for example, neutralization of a charged portion and charge of floating charged dust over a wide range in an object transfer area with a small number of ion generating means. And it is providing the processing system of a to-be-processed object.

The invention according to claim 1 is an accommodation capable of holding and accommodating a plurality of objects to be processed in a plurality of stages in an object transfer area that is enclosed and enclosed by a partition wall as a whole. Between the box and a target object holding means for holding a plurality of target objects in a plurality of stages and being loaded and unloaded into a processing container for performing a predetermined process on the target object. In the object transfer mechanism for transferring the object to be processed, a lifting platform that can be moved up and down by a lifting means, and a platform provided on the lifting platform for mounting the object to be processed. A fork means configured to be able to move forward, backward, and turn, an ion generating means that is provided in the fork means to generate ions that remove static electricity and discharges the generated ions toward the front of the fork means ; The object transfer area A charge amount detection sensor provided in, on the basis of the detected value of the charge amount detection sensor and a said ion control unit that controls the operation of the ion generating unit, said for all areas of movement of the fork means It is a transfer mechanism of a to-be-processed object characterized by discharging | emitting ion.

In this way, in the transfer mechanism for transferring the object to be processed between the storage box for storing the object to be processed and the target object holding means loaded and unloaded into the processing container, the target object is mounted. Fork means that are placed and moved are provided with ion generating means for discharging ions in front of the fork means so as to remove static electricity, so a small number of ion generating means can be used, for example, in a wide area within the transfer area of the object to be processed. In addition, it is possible to remove static electricity from charged portions and static electricity from floating charged dust. Moreover, since the operation of the ion generator is stopped depending on the charging state in the workpiece transfer area, it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of the carrier gas and the like used for ion generation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the fork means includes a swivel base that is turnable on the lift base, and is provided on the swivel base to place the object to be processed. And a plurality of fork bodies that can be moved forward and backward.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the fork means is provided on the swivel base and has an optical sensor at the tip for detecting the presence or absence of the object to be processed, so that the fork means can be moved forward and backward. A fork body with a sensor is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the present invention, the ion generating means is provided on the swivel base.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the ion generating means has a carrier gas supply means for supplying a carrier gas, and an ion blowing nozzle of the ion generating means. Is provided at the tip of the swivel base.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the ion generating means is provided in the sensor-equipped fork main body.
The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 3 or 6, wherein the ion generating means has carrier gas supply means for supplying a carrier gas, and the ion blowing nozzle of the ion generating means is provided with the sensor. It is provided in the front-end | tip part of a fork main body, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

The invention of claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 5 or 7, the ion blowing nozzle is provided with a diffusion head for diffusing the blowing direction of the ions.
A ninth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the fifth or seventh aspect of the invention, the ion blowing nozzle is provided with a variable louver for changing a blowing direction of the ions.

The invention of claim 10 is the invention of any one of claims 1乃optimum 9, the ion generating means may be ionizer.

The invention of claim 11 is the invention of any one of claims 1乃optimum 10, wherein the storage box has a lid which is made detachably, and characterized in that inside is made sealably To do.
The invention of claim 12 is the invention of any one of claims 1乃optimum 11, wherein the processing container is made of quartz cylindrical body was made into a closed ceiling and having an opening at the bottom, the said openings It is characterized in that a cap that is airtightly attachable / detachable is attached.

The invention of claim 13 is the invention of any one of claims 1乃optimum 12, the space for performing transfer of the workpiece is a workpiece transfer area of the lower of the processing vessel Features.
The invention of claim 14 is the invention of any one of claims 1乃optimum 13, wherein the workpiece transfer area is characterized by the side flow of clean gas is formed.

The invention according to claim 15 is a processing system for an object to be processed, wherein the object to be processed is taken out from a storage box for storing a plurality of objects to be processed and heat-treated on the object to be processed. A vertical processing unit having a processing container for performing heat treatment on the body, a target object transfer area provided below the processing unit and partitioned by a partition wall, and the target object A workpiece holding means for holding the workpiece over a plurality of stages, a lifting means for holding means for lifting and lowering the workpiece holding means to load and unload the processing container, and a transfer provided on the partition wall and transfer mechanism of the target object according to any one of claims 1乃optimum 14 for transferring the workpiece between the storage box installed in the stage and the workpiece holding means Special features A processing system of the object to.

According to the transfer mechanism of the target object and the processing system of the target object according to the present invention, the following excellent operational effects can be exhibited.
In the transfer mechanism for transferring the object to be processed between the storage box for storing the object to be processed and the object holding means loaded and unloaded into the processing container, the object to be processed is placed and moved. Since the fork means is provided with ion generating means for discharging ions to the front of the fork means so as to remove static electricity, a small number of ion generating means, for example, charging points over a wide area in the object transfer area It is possible to neutralize static electricity and to remove static electricity from floating charged dust. Moreover, since the operation of the ion generator is stopped depending on the charging state in the workpiece transfer area, it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of the carrier gas and the like used for ion generation.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a transfer mechanism for a target object and a processing system for a target object according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a processing system for an object to be processed according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is each configuration in an object transfer area in which a transfer mechanism for the object to be processed according to the present invention is installed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the flow of the clean gas in the object transfer area, and FIG. 4 is the arrangement position and transfer of each component in the object transfer area. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a transfer mechanism having ion generating means, FIG. 6 is a side view showing fork means of the transfer mechanism, and FIG. It is a block block diagram which shows various forms.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing system 2 for the object to be processed is surrounded by a casing 4 made of, for example, stainless steel, which functions as a partition wall as a whole. It is divided into two by a partition wall 12 into a storage box transfer area 8 for transfer and a target object transfer area 10 to which a semiconductor wafer W as a target object is transferred. Here, a wafer having a diameter of 300 mm is used as the wafer W. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and wafers having a diameter of 450 mm, 8 inches, and 6 inches can also be used.

In the storage box 6, a plurality of, for example, 25 wafers are supported in a stepped shape and sealed by an open / close lid 6A, and the inside is an inert gas atmosphere such as N ₂ gas or a clean air atmosphere Has been made. Then, a downflow of clean air is caused to flow in the storage box transfer area 8, and a side flow of a clean gas such as N ₂ gas such as N ₂ gas is provided in the workpiece transfer area 10 as will be described later. The formed inert gas atmosphere is used. In some cases, clean air may flow through the area 10.

  The processing system 2 mainly includes a loading / unloading port 14 for loading / unloading the storage box 6 into / from the processing system 2, a stocker unit 16 for temporarily storing the storage box 6, and the storage box 6 and a wafer boat 18 as an object holding means, a transfer stage 20 for transferring the semiconductor wafer W, and a predetermined heat treatment for the semiconductor wafer W transferred and held on the wafer boat 18. And a processing unit 22 that performs the processing.

  In the carry-in / out port 14, a box carry-in / out opening 24 that is always open is formed in the housing 4. In some cases, the box loading / unloading port 24 can be opened and closed by an opening / closing door. The box loading / unloading port 24 is provided with an outer mounting table 26 for mounting the storage box 6 conveyed from the outside. The outer mounting table 26 is installed so as to crotch inside and outside the box carry-in / out port 24. A slide plate 28 that is slidably movable on the outer mounting table 26 is provided on the upper portion of the outer mounting table 26, and can be moved in a state in which the storage box 6 is placed thereon. .

  On the other hand, the stocker unit 16 is located above the storage box transport area 8. In the illustrated example, the stocker unit 16 is provided with, for example, two shelves 30 that temporarily store and store the storage boxes 6 in two rows and two stages. In addition, the quantity of this shelf level 30 is not specifically limited, Actually, many more are provided.

  A lift elevator 32 is provided between the two shelves 30 so as to stand upright. The lift elevator 32 is provided with a box transport arm 34 that can be moved forward and backward and turned in the horizontal direction. Accordingly, the storage box 6 can be held by the box transfer arm 34 and can be transferred between the loading / unloading port 14 and the stocker 16 by bending and extending the box transfer arm 34.

  Further, in the transfer stage 20, an opening 36 that is slightly larger than the opening / closing lid 6 </ b> A of the storage box 6 is formed in the partition wall 12 that partitions both the areas 8 and 10. On the side of the storage box transport area 8, a mounting table 38 is provided horizontally, on which the storage box 6 can be placed. Further, an actuator 40 for pressing and biasing the storage box 6 placed thereon to the partition wall 12 side is provided on one side of the mounting table 38, and an opening / closing lid 6A of the storage box 6 is provided. The opening edge of the opening of the storage box 6 is brought into contact with the opening edge of the opening 36 of the partition wall 12 in a substantially airtight manner while facing the opening 36. In some cases, the storage box 6 is pressed and fixed from above as the actuator 40.

  In addition, an opening / closing door 42 for opening and closing the opening 36 is provided on the object transfer area 10 side of the opening 36 so as to be slidable in the lateral direction. The open / close door 42 may be provided so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. The opening / closing door 42 is provided with a lid opening / closing mechanism 44 for opening / closing the opening / closing lid 6A of the storage box 6 (see FIG. 2).

  A standby box transfer arm 46 for waiting the storage box 6 is installed in the vicinity of the opening 36 in the storage box transfer area 8, and the storage box 6 for storing a wafer to be processed next is placed in the box. It is received from the transfer arm 34 and placed on the transfer stage 20 after waiting. The standby box transfer arm 46 may not be provided. In this case, the storage box 6 is installed on the transfer stage 20 by the box transfer arm 34.

  On the other hand, in the processing object transfer area 10, two boat mounting tables on which the wafer boat 18 is mounted, that is, a transfer boat mounting table 48 and a standby boat mounting table 50 are provided. Of the two boat mounting tables 48, 50, a transfer mechanism 52 for the object to be processed, which is a feature of the present invention, is provided between the boat mounting table 48 for transfer and the transfer stage 20. Yes. The transfer mechanism 52 includes a lift 56 that can be moved up and down by a lift 54, a fork 58 that can move forward, backward, and turn in a horizontal direction, and ions that generate ions that remove static electricity. The generating unit 60 is mainly included. The structure of the transfer mechanism 52 will be described in detail later.

  Accordingly, by moving the fork means 58 of the transfer mechanism 52 forward, backward and up / down, the wafer W is transferred between the storage box 6 on the mounting table 38 and the wafer boat 18 on the transfer boat mounting table 48. It is now possible to perform the posting. Here, a plurality of wafer boats 18, for example, two wafer boats 18A and 18B are provided, and these two boats are used alternately. One wafer boat 18 or three or more wafer boats 18 may be provided. When the number of wafer boats 18 is one, the boat mounting tables 48 and 50 are not provided. Wafers are transferred between them.

  The entire wafer boat 18 is made of a heat-resistant material, for example, quartz, and has, for example, six columns made of quartz. A plurality of wafers W are supported at equal pitches by supporting the edges of the wafers W with support grooves formed at equal pitches on the columns. In this case, the pitch of the wafer W to be supported is set to, for example, about 4.0 mm.

  Above the one side of the workpiece transfer area 10, the processing unit 22 composed of a vertical heat treatment furnace is supported and arranged by a base plate 62. The processing unit 22 includes a processing container 64 made of a quartz cylindrical body having an opening at the bottom and a ceiling, and a cylindrical heater 66 is provided around the processing container 64. The wafer can be heated. Here, the atmosphere in the processing container 64 is exhausted from, for example, an exhaust port provided on the side wall of the lower part of the container, an exhaust port provided on the container ceiling, or the like. As a result, a predetermined heat treatment such as film formation or oxidation diffusion is performed on a large number of wafers W at a time.

  In this case, the wafer temperature is, for example, about 800 to 900 ° C. at maximum, although it depends on the processing contents. Below this processing container 64, that is, below the base plate 62, is a substantial object transfer area 10. A cap 70 that can be moved up and down by a boat lift mechanism 68 such as a lift elevator is disposed below the processing vessel 64. For example, a ball screw or the like can be used as the boat elevating mechanism 68. Then, by placing the wafer boat 18 on the cap 70 and raising it, the wafer boat 18 can be loaded into the processing container 64 from the lower end opening of the processing container 64. At this time, the lower end opening of the processing container 64 is hermetically closed by the cap 70.

  A shutter 72 that closes the lower end opening when the wafer boat 18 is unloaded and lowered downward is slidably provided on the side of the lower end opening of the processing container 64. . In the vicinity of the lowered cap 70 and both the boat mounting tables 48 and 50, a boat transfer mechanism 74 that can be bent and stretched is provided, and both the boat mounting tables 48 and 50 and the cap 70 are mounted. The wafer boat 18 can be transferred between the two boat mounting tables 48 and 50.

A pair of high-performance filters 76 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is provided on one side of the object transfer area 10, and clean air, N ₂ gas, or the like is provided from the filter 76. A side flow 78 of clean gas is always formed by blowing off the inert gas in the horizontal direction. As a result, the inside of the object transfer area 10 is kept clean and the ambient temperature is cooled. Further, a gas suction port 80 is provided on a surface opposite to the installation surface of the filter 76, and the side flow 78 sucked here is connected to a duct 82 (see also FIG. 4) provided at the bottom. Then, it is returned to the filter 76 side, and a part thereof is circulated.

  Here, the transfer mechanism 52 for the object to be processed, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in detail. As described above, the transfer mechanism 52 includes an elevating table 56 that can be moved up and down by the elevating means 54, and It mainly includes a fork means 58 that can move forward, backward, and turn in the horizontal direction, and an ion generation means 60 that generates ions for removing static electricity.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the elevating means 54 is composed of, for example, a ball screw 86 erected in the vertical direction, and a guide rail 88 is provided along the ball screw 86. The lifting platform 56 is screwed into the ball screw 86, and is moved up and down along the guide rail 88 by rotating the ball screw 86 forward and backward. The lifting platform 56 has a mounting arm portion 90 (see FIG. 5) extending in the horizontal direction, and the fork means 58 is attached to the arm portion 90.

  The fork means 58 includes a rectangular parallelepiped swivel 92 provided on the mounting arm 90 so as to be turnable as indicated by an arrow 91, and a plurality of swivels 92 provided on the swivel base 92 and capable of moving forward and backward. The fork main body 94 is mainly configured. As shown in FIG. 6, here, five fork bodies 94A, 94B, 94C, 94D, 94E are arranged side by side at equal pitches in the vertical direction, and the tip side is bifurcated. The wafer W can be placed on each of the fork main bodies 94A to 94E.

  The base ends of the fork main bodies 94A to 94E are supported by a slider 96, and the slider 96 is reciprocally slid in the longitudinal direction of the swivel base 92 as shown by an arrow 97 (see FIG. 5). As described above, the fork main bodies 94A to 94E can be moved forward and backward. The number of fork main bodies 94 is not limited to five, and may be more or less than this.

  The ion generating means 60 is provided on the swivel base 92 of the fork means 58. Specifically, the ion generating means 60 is made of, for example, an ionizer, and the ion generating means 60 are provided on both sides of the rectangular parallelepiped swivel 92 as shown in FIG. Here, two ion generating means 60 are provided, but one may be provided. As shown in FIG. 7A, the ion generating means 60 includes an ion generator 98, an ion channel 100 extending from the ion generator 98, and an ion blowing nozzle 102 connected to the tip of the ion channel 100, respectively. And is mainly formed. The ion generator 98 is provided with carrier gas supply means 104 for supplying a carrier gas thereto.

The carrier gas supply means 104 is composed of a carrier gas pipe 108 with an on-off valve 106 provided in the middle, and the tip end side is branched into two and connected to the ion generators 98 to supply the carrier gas. It can be done. As the carrier gas, for example, N ₂ gas is used here, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a rare gas such as Ar or He may be used. As a material of the carrier gas pipe 108, for example, a flexible stainless steel pipe, a Teflon (trade name) gas pipe, a ceramic pipe, or the like can be used. It is set long enough to follow up and down movement.

  In the ion generator 98, as is well known, a plurality of positive discharge needles and negative discharge needles (not shown) are incorporated to generate positive ions and negative ions. Here, any kind of ionizer may be used as the ion generator 98. For example, a double DC bar type ionizer that generates positive ions and negative ions simultaneously, and positive ions and negative ions are constant. Pulse type DC ionizer that generates alternately at intervals, AC bar type ionizer that alternately generates positive ions and negative ions, soft X-ray that generates positive ions and negative ions by irradiating X-rays An ionizer or the like can be used.

  The positive ions and negative ions generated here can be transferred into the ion channel 100 together with the carrier gas. The ion channel 100 is made of, for example, a tube made of stainless steel, Teflon (trade name), ceramic, or the like, and is preferably made of an insulating material so that the generated ions do not disappear as much as possible inside. To do. The ion blowing nozzles 102 are fixedly attached to the tip of the swivel base 92 and are carried together with a carrier gas, and the ions are indicated by arrows 110 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) as necessary. As shown, it blows forward.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7A, a charge amount detection sensor 112 is provided in the region where the ions are blown out, that is, in the object transfer area 10, and the charge amount The detection value of the detection sensor 112 is input to the ion control unit 114 made of, for example, a computer. The control signal from the ion control unit 114 is input to the ion generation means 60 side, specifically, to the ion generator 98 and the on-off valve 106 side, and the detection value of the charge amount detection sensor 112 is used as the control signal. Based on this, the operation of the ion generating means 60 is controlled. In addition, without providing the charge amount detection sensor 42, the ion generating means 60 may always be operated to blow out ions during the operation of the processing system.

  Control of the overall operation of the processing system 2, for example, loading and unloading operations of the storage box 6 in the storage box transfer area 8, transfer operation of the wafer W in the workpiece transfer area 10, The transfer operation, the raising / lowering operation of the wafer boat 18, the heat treatment operation (film formation process, etc.) in the processing unit 22 are controlled by a system control unit 120 (see FIG. 1) composed of a computer, for example. In this case, the ion control unit 114 is under the control of the system control unit 120. A program (readable by a computer) necessary for controlling the system control unit 120 and the ion control unit 114 is stored in the storage medium 122. The storage medium 122 is composed of, for example, a flexible disk, a CD (Compact Disc), a hard disk, a flash memory, or the like.

Next, the operation of the processing system 2 configured as described above will be described. First, the workpiece transfer area 10, an inert gas to prevent deposition of a natural oxide film on the wafer surface, for example (see FIG. 3) side-flow 78 of the N ₂ gas is formed an N ₂ atmosphere Has been made. In addition, a clean air downflow is formed in the storage box transport area 8 to maintain a clean air atmosphere.

  First, the overall flow of the semiconductor wafer W will be described. The storage box 6 transported from the outside on the storage box transport area 8 side has the opening / closing lid 6A directed toward the box transport inlet / outlet 24 and the outer mounting table 26. Placed on top. Then, the slide plate 28 on the outer mounting table 26 on which the storage box 6 is mounted is moved forward to be transferred into the storage box transfer area 8.

  Next, by driving the box transport arm 34, the storage box 6 installed on the slide plate 28 is picked up and held, and then the lift elevator 32 is driven to drive the storage box 6 Is transported to a predetermined position on the shelf 30 of the upper stocker unit 16, and is temporarily stored. At the same time, the storage box 6 that has already been temporarily stored in the shelf stage 30 and stores the wafers to be processed is picked up by the box transfer arm 34, and the elevator elevator 32 is driven as described above. Descent.

  When the stage 38 of the transfer stage 20 is empty, the storage box 6 is transferred onto the stage 38 of the transfer stage 30. If another storage box 6 is already set on the table 38, the storage box 6 on the box transfer arm 34 is gripped by the standby box transfer arm 46 and transferred to the vicinity of the opening 36. And wait. The opening / closing lid 6A of the storage box 6 on the mounting table 38 is directed toward the opening / closing door 42, and the storage box 6 is pressed and urged by the horizontal actuator 40 provided on one side of the mounting table 38. 38 is fixed.

  In this state, by driving the lid opening / closing mechanism 44 (see FIG. 2), the opening / closing door 42 of the opening 36 and the opening / closing lid 6A of the storage box 6 are removed, and these are slid and moved, for example, in the horizontal direction. Then, by driving the transfer mechanism 52 for the object to be processed according to the present invention, the wafers W accommodated in the accommodation box 6 are taken out by five pieces here, and these are taken on the transfer boat placement table 48. Are transferred to the wafer boat 18.

  In this case, if the number of wafers stored in the wafer boat 18 is 75 and the number of wafers stored in the storage box 6 is 25, the wafers are taken out from the three storage boxes 6 and transferred, and one batch of processing is performed. Will be done. Here, when driving of the transfer mechanism 52 of the object to be processed is started, the ion generating means 60 provided in the mechanism is also driven to start the release of ions.

  When the transfer of the wafer W to the wafer boat 18 is completed, the boat transfer mechanism 74 is driven, and the wafer boat 18 on the transfer boat mounting table 48 is lowered to the lowest end. It is placed on the existing cap 70. Here, when the wafer boat 18 that accommodates the unloaded wafers after the heat treatment is completed is on the cap 70, the wafer boat 18 is previously stored in the standby boat mounting table 50 using the boat transfer mechanism 74. Move it up.

  When the transfer of the wafer boat 18 containing unprocessed wafers onto the cap 70 is completed, the boat lift mechanism 68 is driven to integrate the wafer boat 18 and the cap 70 on which the wafer boat 18 is placed. The wafer boat 18 is introduced into the processing container 64 of the processing unit 22 from the lower end opening and loaded. Then, the lower end opening of the processing container 64 is sealed with the cap 70, and in this state, a predetermined heat treatment such as a film forming process or an oxidation diffusion process is performed on the wafer W in the processing unit 22. In this case, the temperature of the wafer W reaches a high temperature of 800 to 1000 ° C., although depending on the heat treatment mode.

  In this way, when the heat treatment for a predetermined time is completed, the reverse operation as described above is performed, and the processed wafer W is taken out. That is, by starting unloading, the wafer boat 18 is lowered from the processing container 64 to complete unloading. At this time, when the unloading is started and the lowering of the wafer boat 18 is started, the atmosphere in the workpiece transfer area 10 becomes a high temperature state, but is cooled by the side flow 78 (see FIG. 3) described above. Then, the unloaded wafer boat 18 is directly transferred onto the transfer boat mounting table 48 by the boat transfer mechanism 74 via the standby boat mounting table 50 or without passing through it. It will be posted. During this time, the processed wafer W is cooled to some extent.

  Then, the processed wafer W is transferred from the wafer boat 18 into the empty accommodation box 6 on the stage 38 of the transfer stage 20 by using the lifting / lowering means 54 and the fork means 58 of the transfer mechanism 52 of the object to be processed. Also in this case, the ion generating means 60 provided in the transfer mechanism 52 for the object to be processed is driven to release ions. When the transfer of the processed wafer W into the storage box 6 is completed, the opening / closing door 42 is attached to the opening 36, and the lid opening / closing mechanism 44 (see FIG. 2) is driven to hold it. The opened opening / closing lid 6A is attached to the storage box 6 side.

  Next, the box transfer arm 34 in the storage box transfer area 8 is driven, and the storage box 6 is temporarily stored in the stocker unit 16 or outside the processing system 2 through the box carry-in / out port 24 without storing. Will be transported to. While the box transfer arm 34 is transferring the storage box 6 storing processed wafers, the standby box transfer arm 46 that has already been holding and holding the empty storage box 6 is in the empty storage box. 6 is set on the table 38, and the accommodation of the processed wafer into the accommodation box 6 is started.

  In this case, for example, three empty accommodation boxes 6 are used. This completes the processing of one batch of wafers. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated. The flow of the storage box 26 described above is merely an example, and it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this.

  Now, when such a series of operations is performed, paying attention to the transfer of the semiconductor wafer W in the workpiece transfer area 10, the wafer W is accommodated on the mounting table 38. Transfer is performed between the box 6 and the wafer boat 18 installed on the transfer boat mounting table 48 by using the transfer mechanism 52 of the object to be processed. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the lift 86 is moved up and down by the lift 54 of the workpiece transfer mechanism 52, and the swivel 92 of the fork 58 is mounted on the mounting arm 90 extending from the lift 86. The five fork bodies 94A to 94E move forward or backward as the slider 96 on the swivel base 92 slides back and forth as a result of the pivot movement as necessary. As a result, the fork bodies 94A to 94E are moved forward and backward. The wafer W is held and transferred.

  As described above, as a result of transferring the wafer W, the accommodation box 6 and the wafer boat 18 that hold and accommodate the wafer W itself and the wafer W tend to be charged by static electricity. In addition, due to various causes, a small number of particles (dust) present in the workpiece transfer area 10 tend to be charged by static electricity.

  However, in the present invention, the ion generating means 60 is provided in the fork means 58, and positive ions and negative ions are released from the ion generating means 60. It is possible to prevent the particles from adhering to the wafer W by being neutralized.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7A, the positive ions and negative ions generated by the ion generator 98 of the ion generating means 60 flow along the ion flow path 100 accompanied by the carrier gas, It is always discharged forward from the connected ion blowing nozzle 102. Since the ion blowing nozzle 102 moves up and down, swivels, and advances and retreats by the transfer operation of the wafer W as described above, the ions are discharged to all the regions in which the fork means 58 moves. become.

  For example, FIG. 4 shows a state in which the fork means 58 faces left and right, and in this way, ions can be released in all paths along which the fork means 58 moves. Therefore, the storage box 6 and the wafer boat 18 that tend to be charged as described above can be effectively and efficiently neutralized.

  Further, since ions can be released over a wide area in the object transfer area 10, it is effective and efficient even for particles that are charged and floating in this area. Can be neutralized. In this case, since one or two ion generators 60 are provided, the equipment cost is very low, and ions can be discharged over a wide range with a small number of ion generating means 60.

The charging status of the workpiece transfer area 10, as shown in FIG. 7 (A), which is always detected by the charge amount detection sensor 112, the detected value is higher if than a predetermined value Since the ion control unit 114 can stop the operation of the ion generator 98, it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of the carrier gas and the like.

  In this way, the object to be processed is transferred between the accommodation box 6 that accommodates the object to be processed, for example, the semiconductor wafer W, and the wafer boat 18 that is the object holding means loaded and unloaded into the processing container 64. In the transfer mechanism for mounting, the ion generating means 60 is provided in the fork means 58 for moving the object to be processed so as to remove static electricity. It is possible to neutralize charged portions and neutralize floating charged dust over a wide area in the transfer area 10.

  In the case of the above embodiment, the case where two ion generating means 60 are provided on both sides of the swivel base 92 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. An ion generating means 60 is provided, and the ion flow path 100 extending from the ion generator 98 is branched into two in the middle, and an ion blowing nozzle 102 is provided at the tip of each branched ion flow path 100. May be. According to this, equipment cost can be reduced by the amount that one ion generator 98 is reduced. In FIG. 7B, parts having the same configuration as the part shown in FIG.

<Modified Embodiment>
Next, a modified embodiment of the conveyance mechanism for the object to be processed according to the present invention will be described. In the previous embodiment, the case where the entire ion generating means 60 is provided on the swivel base 92 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may make it attach to the side. FIG. 8 is a side view showing an example of such a modified embodiment of the conveyance mechanism of the object to be processed of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an example of a modified embodiment of the conveyance mechanism of the object of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. In FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as the component costs in FIG.

  In general, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the fork means 58 includes a fork with a sensor for detecting the wafer accommodation position in the wafer boat 18 and the accommodation box 6 in addition to the fork bodies 94 </ b> A to 94 </ b> E that hold the wafer W. The main body 94X may be provided.

  The fork main body 94X with sensor can be moved forward and backward in the same manner as the other fork main bodies 94A to 94E, and the tip side is divided into two forks. And the optical sensor 130 which detects the presence or absence of the wafer W is provided in this bifurcated front-end | tip part. The optical sensor 130 is composed of a light emitting diode 130A that emits inspection light L made of a light emitting diode or laser element provided at one end of a bifurcated tip, and a light receiver 130B provided at the other tip. With the sensor-equipped fork main body 94X moved forward, the position corresponding to the edge of the wafer W is scanned up and down to detect the presence and position of the wafer. Of course, the wafer W can be transferred using the fork body 94X with a sensor.

  In this modified embodiment, the ion generating means 60 is provided on both sides of the sensor-equipped fork body 94X. Specifically, the ion blowing nozzles 102 of the two ion generating means 60 are respectively attached to the bifurcated tip portion of the fork main body 94X with the sensor. Here, each ion generator 98 is attached to both sides of the slider 96. In this case, ions can be blown out while the fork main body 94X with sensor is moved forward and the ion blowing nozzle 102 is brought closer to the wafer W, the wafer boat 18 or the storage box 6. Etc. can be removed more effectively. In this case as well, it is needless to say that one ion generator 98 may be provided as shown in FIG.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the blowing direction of the ion from the ion blowing nozzle 102 was set so that it might become straight ahead, it is not limited to this, As shown in FIG. You may make it provide the diffusion head 132 which diffuses the blowing direction of ion at the front-end | tip part. The diffusion head 132 is formed with a plurality of blowing holes 132A for diffusing not only forward but also obliquely forward, so that ions can be blown to a wide area in the front. ing.

  Further, although not shown, a variable louver that makes the direction of ion blowing variable at the tip of the ion blowing nozzle 102 may be provided. In each of the above embodiments, the ion generation means 60 has been described by way of example using a carrier gas. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the carrier gas may not be used. When this carrier gas is not used, the generated ions are caused to accompany the side flow 78 (see FIG. 3) to diffuse the ions.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the ion generator 98 and the ion blowing nozzle 102 are separated from each other and are connected by the ion channel 100 (see FIG. 7) is mainly described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Instead, an ion generating means in which the ion generator 98 and the ion blowing nozzle 102 are directly joined can be used as in another modified embodiment of the ion generating means shown in FIG. As such an ion generating means, for example, a micro static eliminator ST-M020 series (trade name) manufactured by Keyence Corporation or the like can be used. Also in this case, there are a type using a carrier gas and a type not using it, and FIG. 11 shows a type using a carrier gas.

  Here, a semiconductor wafer has been described as an example of the object to be processed, but this semiconductor wafer includes a silicon substrate and a compound semiconductor substrate such as GaAs, SiC, GaN, and the like, and is not limited to these substrates. The present invention can also be applied to glass substrates, ceramic substrates, and the like used in display devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the to-be-processed object processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the arrangement position of each structural member in the to-be-processed object transfer area which installed the to-be-processed object transfer mechanism which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the flow of the clean gas in a to-be-processed object transfer area. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the arrangement | positioning position of each structural member in a to-be-processed object transfer area, and the operation condition of a transfer mechanism. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the transfer mechanism which has an ion generation means. It is a side view which shows the fork means of a transfer mechanism. It is a block block diagram which shows the various forms of an ion generation means. It is a side view which shows an example of deformation | transformation embodiment of the conveyance mechanism of the to-be-processed object of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of deformation | transformation embodiment of the conveyance mechanism of the to-be-processed object of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the diffusion head provided in the front-end | tip part of an ion blowing nozzle. It is a figure which shows other deformation | transformation embodiment of an ion generation means.

Explanation of symbols

2 Processing System for Processing Object 4 Housing 6 Storage Box 8 Storage Box Transport Area 10 Processing Object Transfer Area 18 Wafer Boat (Processing Object Holding Means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 Processing unit 32 Lifting elevator 34 Box conveyance arm 48 Transfer boat mounting base 50 Standby boat mounting base 52 Transfer object transfer mechanism 54 Lifting means 56 Lifting stand 58 Fork means 60 Ion generating means 64 Processing container 68 Boat lift Mechanism 70 Cap 74 Boat transfer mechanism 76 Filter 78 Side flow 92 Swivel table 94, 94A to 94E Fork main body 96 Slider 98 Ion generator 100 Ion flow channel 102 Ion blowing nozzle 104 Carrier gas supply means 108 Carrier gas pipe 112 Charge amount detection Sensor 114 Ion control unit 120 System control unit 130 Optical sensor 132 Diffusion head W Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed)

Claims (15)

A storage box capable of holding and storing a plurality of objects to be processed in a plurality of stages in a processing object transfer area which is entirely surrounded by a partition wall and closed, and a plurality of objects to be processed Is transferred over a plurality of stages, and the object to be processed is transferred between the object holding means loaded and unloaded into a processing container for performing a predetermined process on the object to be processed. In the transfer mechanism of the object to be processed,
A lifting platform that can be moved up and down by the lifting means;
A fork means provided on the lift and configured to be able to move forward, backward and turn by placing the object to be processed;
An ion generating means that is provided in the fork means and generates ions for removing static electricity and discharges the generated ions toward the front of the fork means ;
A charge amount detection sensor provided in the object transfer area;
An ion control unit that controls the operation of the ion generation means based on the detection value of the charge amount detection sensor,
A transfer mechanism for an object to be processed, characterized in that the ions are released to all areas in which the fork means moves. The fork means is
A swivel provided on the lift table so as to be turnable;
A plurality of fork main bodies provided on the swivel base and configured to be able to move forward and backward by placing the object to be processed;
The transfer mechanism for an object to be processed according to claim 1. The fork means is
3. A fork main body with a sensor, which is provided on the swivel base and has an optical sensor for detecting the presence / absence of the object to be processed and which can be moved forward and backward. The transfer mechanism of the object to be processed. The said ion generation means is provided in the said turntable, The to-be-processed object transfer mechanism of Claim 2 or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. The ion generating means includes carrier gas supply means for supplying a carrier gas, and an ion blowing nozzle of the ion generating means is provided at a tip of the swivel base. The transfer mechanism of the to-be-processed object as described in any one of these. The said ion generation means is provided in the said fork main body with a sensor, The to-be-processed object transfer mechanism of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The ion generating means includes carrier gas supply means for supplying a carrier gas, and an ion blowing nozzle of the ion generating means is provided at a tip portion of the fork main body with sensor. Or the transfer mechanism of the to-be-processed object of 6. The transfer mechanism for the object to be processed according to claim 5 or 7, wherein the ion blowing nozzle is provided with a diffusion head for diffusing the blowing direction of the ions. 8. The transfer mechanism for an object to be processed according to claim 5, wherein the ion blowing nozzle is provided with a variable louver for changing a blowing direction of the ions. The ion generating means, a target object transfer mechanism according to any one of claims 1乃optimum 9, characterized in that the ionizer. The storage box has a lid which is made detachably, inside the target object transfer mechanism according to any one of claims 1乃optimum 10, characterized in that it is adapted to sealably . The processing container is made of quartz cylindrical body was made into a closed ceiling and having an opening at the bottom, according to claim 1乃optimum to the opening, wherein a cap is adapted to removably hermetically mounted The transfer mechanism of the to-be-processed object as described in any one of Claims 11 . The space for transferring the object to be processed is a target object transfer area below the processing container, wherein the object to be processed is transferred according to any one of claims 1 to 12. mechanism. Wherein the workpiece transfer area is 13. Symbol mounting of the target object transfer mechanism, characterized in that the side flow of the clean gas is formed. In the processing system of the object to be processed, the object to be processed is subjected to heat treatment by taking out the object to be processed from a storage box for storing a plurality of objects to be processed.
A vertical processing unit having a processing container for heat-treating the object to be processed;
An object transfer area provided below the processing unit and surrounded by a partition wall;
A target object holding means for holding the target object in a plurality of stages;
Lifting means for holding means that lifts and lowers the object holding means and loads and unloads it into the processing container;
According to any one of claims 1乃optimum 14 for transferring the workpiece between said storage box and said workpiece holding means installed in the transfer stages provided in the partition wall A transfer mechanism of the object to be processed;
A processing system for an object to be processed.

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